5 Non-Violent Tricks to Deal with Stray Dogs

Stray dogs are so prevalent throughout the world that sooner or later, you’ll come face to face with a stray or two. 99% of the time strays will avoid confrontation with humans, but from time to time a dog might act confrontational, which can lead to a harrowing experience if you’re not familiar with dog behavior.

This happened to me a few times, especially in Thailand where most people are kind to strays and urban dog packs can thrive. These encounters led me to research this article. Foremost in my mind was finding a way to avoid confrontation without harming the dogs. Many people who offered advice suggested I run at them screaming or use mace. I may not be a fan of the dogs who bark at me, but I see no reason to harm an animal, especially when I’m the foreign intruder on their home turf.

Here are the results of my research, which I’ve applied successfully a few times.

1. Stay calm and walk away. Don’t run.

This is the simplest, most important thing to remember. If a stray dog is barking at you from a distance, it’s most likely warning you to stay off its territory. It will stand at the edge of its territory and bark to warn you against entering it. As long as you remain calm and walk away from the dog, you should have no problem.

(Caveat: I know that Cesar Millan’s approach to dogs is highly problematic, but the video offers sensible advice on reading stray dog behavior.)

Whatever you do, do not run away; dogs are likely to instinctively give chase, and there’s no way you’ll outrun them on a short sprint. This is the reason you see dogs chasing cars and motorbikes, not to mention, much to my annoyance, runners. Dogs who run you down are likely to bite your legs to make you stop.

For my fellow runners out there, be wary of dogs chasing you while you run. Dogs who are unused to runners might think you’re fleeing and might instinctively run you down. The only trick I’ve found is to stop and walk, then start running again when you’re further away. Sucks for your pace, but it beats a bite in the calf.

2. Avoid confrontation with packs.

While you can always bluster your way through an encounter with a lone dog, dog packs are bad news. The dogs’ confidence is multiplied when they have their buddies around, and they know real well how to coordinate to take a threat down. What’s worse, dog packs don’t always signal their aggressive intent by barking; I’ve seen dogs in pack quietly flank a perceived threat without a sound.

If a dog pack is just lying about sleeping or acting friendly, you’re most likely OK. But trust your instincts on this; if a pack feels threatening even if no one is barking, don’t chance it. Walk away and find another way around even if it’s a long one.

An interesting note on dog behavior is that a dog who wags its tail is not necessarily friendly. Dogs wag their tail when they’re excited, and a dog who’s about to bite you will definitely feel excitement at the upcoming confrontation. As a matter of fact, many barking dogs wag their tails even though it’s clear they’re not being friendly.

3. Send calming signals.

This was the biggest “gotcha” for me as I learned about dog behavior. There are simple ways you can signal to a dog that you have peaceful intent. By performing these, you’re telling the dog that you mean it no harm, and you’ll avoid triggering its aggression. Remember that the majority of lone dogs are afraid of humans. By telling them in their own language that you’re not here to attack them, they’re likely to back down.

Some useful calming signals I often use:

Yawning;

Licking your lips;

Avoiding eye contact;

Standing sideways to the dog;

Letting them approach and sniff you (but don’t raise your hand; they might be surprised and bite).

Likewise, avoid acting dominant with dogs. This goes against the suggestion of many people, but just like with humans, if you escalate aggression, there’s always a risk that the other will follow suit. Remember, the goal here is to get away unscathed, not prove you’re more dominant than some stray.

Some aggressive behaviors to avoid:

Staring them down;

Yelling;

Flailing your arms;

Walking or running towards them.

Here’s a great video on the topic of calming signals:

4. Ask locals for help.

Locals are a great help when dealing with stray dogs. As a matter of fact, you’re unlikely to have any real trouble as long as locals are nearby. The dogs will know them, and the people will know how to deal with the local strays. I’ve had a few hairy encounters with dogs in Thai temples (where whole packs thrive on the monks’ generosity), and monks saved my hide a few times. If no locals are around and you don’t know what to do to avoid injury, just yell for help.

5. Feign picking up rocks.

Having cautioned you against aggressive behavior, let me now recommend something which the dogs will assuredly perceive as an aggression. Use this as a last resort if the above fails. Crouch and feign picking up a small rock. For some reason, this is a gesture that dogs all around the world have learned to recognize as a source of impending pain, which unfortunately says a lot about the abuse they often receive.

I’ve never had to use this one since I’ve learned about calming signals. But before I knew how to defuse a situation, I had to resort to this trick a few times, and it worked every time. It did make the dogs more aggressive, but they kept a respectful distance.

What to do if you get attacked?

If a dog attack looks unavoidable, use an object–a backpack, a stick, even your shirt wrapped around your forearm if time allows–to fend off an attack. Don’t try to hit the dog as it is likely to dodge and move within range. If attacked, use your forearm to shield your head and face at all costs. To escape the area, walk backwards from the attacking dog, looking at the dog indirectly.

After the encounter, get to a hospital as quickly as you can. If your rabies shots are not up to date, you’ll need to get a shot because many stray dogs carry rabies, which can be deadly. You’ll also need those bites treated against infection.

Mind you, if you do the above, a direct, physical confrontation is unlikely. It sure never happened to me, but truth be told, there have been times I have been worried it might.

Have you had encounters with stray dogs? Do you have advice on how to deal with strays? Please leave a comment below!

I have never been afraid of dogs, and in fact love them, and all animals. I travel frequently and have spent a lot of time in Santa Marta, Colombia. I had spent months there the year before and loved the strays and even named the ones near our apartment. Last year I returned and had an incident. Near a secluded beach I was walking back to the car with a friend when a pack of 4 dogs who had been there before and were seemingly docile, awoke and became aggressive. My friend made it out ahead of me but for some reason the pack got territorial and started to become aggressive. I stayed calm and did all of the right things but they were agitated. Barking and lunging, I ended up getting bitten on my left leg multiple times by 2 of the 4. The bites were bad but not terrible. I started yelling for help to a couple of guys down the road. They shouted and the dogs stopped. They helped me scrub the bite wounds with a bar of soap and a bucket of water, which helps stop infection spread. Went to the hospital and got rabies vaccine and antibiotic. Opted out of stitches and went with butterfly sutures. I’ve heard this help from trapping infection if the wound isn’t gaping.

I’m not nervous so much of dogs here in the States, but when traveling I’m cautious with strays, especially in packs. My learning lesson was, stay calm, don’t threaten, and even if you get bitten, you can get treatment and end up with a few scars. If possible, scrub with soap and water ASAP and head to the clinic or hospital. Trust locals to help. Lastly, the whole thing lasted maybe 45 seconds but I’ve been trying to get past it for over a year. Don’t hate dogs, just realize their behaviors and be cautious when traveling. But for no reason let them stop you from your adventures!

Thanks for this article. I am living in Thailand and in the last 3 weeks have been chased by barking dogs 3 times. I was never scared of dogs before the first incident but now I am terrified! I do my best to keep calm and have so far avoided being bitten, although one almost got me. I will try to use the calming signals next time and see if it makes a difference!

Hi Emilie! Good luck… I know the feeling. I was never scared of dogs, but a few close encounters with strays in Thailand is what prompted me to write this article. I definitely saw an improvement since I learned the tricks I shared here… I sincerely hope it works for you!

i have also q problem with a stray dog.i can’t avoid it and go back because the next road has a pack of ten dogs so i prefer the lone dog.I’ve though to give it some hum or treats.would it work so i can gain his trust?

I haven’t tried that myself, but when I was researching this article, a lot of people recommended I try treats. Pretty sure it would work! Might be hard to stop the dog from following you, but that’s better than the dog being aggressive!

I am living in a small village in the north-east, and there are many stray dogs. Was walking through the village the other day when a pack of 8 dogs sprang up from the roadside behind me and started to charge at me barking. I stopped immediately and turned around, and facing sideways looked at the leader straight in the eye. The dog immediately stopped in its tracks and stopped barking, and all the other dogs stopped behind their leader and stopped barking too. I looked at them for about 5 seconds, then calmly turned around and carried on walking. They wandered off in the other direction. Just whatever you do… DON’T RUN!!

Wow, you reacted very calmly, lucky you… I’m told looking at dogs (especially the alpha) straight in the eye is a challenge, but at the same time, strays are generally pretty scared of humans, so it’s a good thing this one backed down… Glad to hear it!Daniel Roy recently posted…My Interview with Oxygen.im

When I was hiking alone in the forest, on a mountain, I stopped to admire a landscape and when I wanted to walk on, a pack of 6 to 10 dogs blocked my way. They kept silent and looked at me. Staying as calm as possible I slowly walked back avoiding eye-contact. However they then started to bark and come towards me, walking then running. I thought if I let them come to me they’ll attack me and kill me or leave me unable to go away. So I panicked and ran. Obviously they ran after me. I was running downhill a pretty steep slope, with trees, roots and rocks on the ground, I slipped and fell many times, I’m lucky that didn’t get badly injured by that ! Then I turned right into a steeeper area with more trees and low branches and after that I could hear their barking far on my left, so they had stopped following me, probably because of the difficult terrain and because I no longer threatened their territory. The sound of their barking in the distance helped me avoid them on my way back.

-Since packs are more likely to attack and more harmful than a single dog, and since they followed me, I guess running was a better option than letting them come close (though climbing on a tree woud have been an even better option, if possible). What do you think ? – Everybody says you just can’t run away from a running dog. Is it possible that the slope and low branches dissuaded them to follow me ? Or did they just decide I no longer threatened their territory ?

Hi! Yikes, I’m glad to hear you escaped fairly unharmed! That sounds like a terrifying ordeal.

I’m really not sure what was your best course of action in this case. The fact that they were looking at your calmly THEN rushed you makes it sound like they really meant you harm. Dogs in packs are the scary ones, like I said… They’re hard to predict because they might feel emboldened to take you on because the numbers are on their side.

I’m not an expert, but my guess is that you ran out of their territory. Running away triggers their chase instinct so they can chase you out of their territory for a while, but you probably made it far enough that they decided to turn back.

i tried what you’ve told us here and i go fishing in a spot nobody can enter because of wild dogs because yr help..lately i tried to feed them..from my food and they eat but they never come close or consider me friend i guess..but they bark like duty when they see me..then i keep walking with inclination like moving half circle to reach my target but it works..from days i heard some fishermen talking about poisoning those family of wild dogs..and we argued about it long time..finally i had to say..if any of this dogs hurt.. i,ll take it personal and revenge from them . because they r innocent creatures living in peace..we go to them not them come to us..so we have to respect them and follow them rules of surviving i guess civilization toke us long way away from our nature.

I’ve always thought just like you… Yes, dogs can be an inconvenience, but we’re often the ones who bother their environment, not the other way around! So why would I act in a violent way with them? I’d rather learn to deal with them peacefully…

Dogs are territorial by nature, so they probably bark for that reason. But if they don’t cause trouble, it sounds like they’re tolerating your presence and will definitely adjust!

I shifted to India last month. I need to return home from office late at night. The dogs in the lane never barked at me. But tonight, all of them started barking vehemently. I held on to my nerves and slowly walked past them. They followed me upto some distance..barking at their might. Am confused. They see me every night returning home. But what happenef to them tonight? Is it a good idea to whistle lovingly at some stray dogs which are mad at me?

Hmm, that must have been stressful! Who knows what got them riled up… Maybe they had already encountered another dog that made them feel territorial. I don’t know if whistling in itself is a good idea, but being calm and non threatening in general is great, and it’s probably what kept the situation here under control!

My younger bro got an accident yesterday. So i was searching for such articles. Thx Daniel Roy for sharing this article. What steps u must adopt when u r on motor bike to get rid of barking n chasing stray dogs behind u? Waiting for ans…..

I don’t know for sure what you can do in this case… Being on a motorbike, I think the best option is to get away from the dogs as quickly as possible… They usually try to chase you out of their territory, so when they reach the edge of their territory they should give up the chase…

Hey today early in the morning i was going through a street and a small dog was following me for a while. At a road turn, at once two big dogs attacked the small dog. It seemed to me that they were going to kill that dog. I didnt want that to be happened, so i shouted at them, they got away at first. And little dog got the chance to hide under a car and was crying badly. After some seconds. When i was walking from there, what i saw was, both of the dogs were coming behind me.. It looked like they would attack me….but thank god i had a bag with me at that time. I use that to frighten them, then they moved away. I held my ground during the incident. But their chasing was horrible, all the signs of aggressiveness was there. Ear up tail up one of them was showing teeth. I hope the small dog got away.

Ugh, sounds like a terrible experience. Dogs in numbers are the most dangerous by far, but it sounds like they mostly wanted you out of their territory since you messed with their “victim”… Very brave of you. Glad you got out OK, and I hope the little dog did too!

I was attacked by a dog in Istanbul yesterday, this dog was on a chain however in an alley. I didn’t even see it until I noticed some locals looking down the alley very concerned. I thought maybe I should leave as it wasn’t the safest looking place(I like too see both side’s of a city)as I turned to walk away the dog attacked. It didn’t even bark,just attacked! I had to fight it off me and ended up with a very badly wounded calf. The only hospitals that have the rabies vaccine are government and frankly that was more concerning than my badly torn calf. Blood on the floor and used syringes lying on benches, I had the first shot and now have to return to that dreaded place four more times over the course of a month. I have always wanted to visit Istanbul and now all I can do is worry about the outcome of this event. I have been traveling for six months and this has really thrown me, I like to think of myself as pretty aware of what is going on around me, but I definitely need to use more caution as to where I explore I guess. I hope my leg heals without complications and I can continue with my journey. My advice, never get too comfortable in your travel a lesson I have learnt the hard way.

Gah, that’s awful! And in such a lovely city as Istanbul, too… I just don’t see how you could have avoided this one. In my experience, dogs on leashes are the worst because they have the confidence of a human backing them up… Stray dogs when alone would not just attack like this.

I hope you find it in you to enjoy Istanbul anyway… What a crappy thing to happen!

I walk a lot, usually through newer routes each day, more like exploring the world around me but coming from a third world country you happen to be more scared of the stray dog, they are just everywhere. I for myself am not afraid of them, but i must admit it gets pretty scary when you run into one of them in a pretty bad mood or worse still a pack of unruly ones. I have been bitten twice in the legs, been chased a number of times and once when i was walking in the dread of the night(big mistake) i happened to come upon a pack of dogs a little far away, who at once started barking at me. I tried to avoid the situation, remained calm, walked backwards slowly but it didnt help. They gave chase and i almost panicked, i picked up some rocks nearby and started throwing them in their direction (not hitting anyone) when that too failed to stop them, i started hitting metal poles and boards nearby. This created loud enough noise to keep them away. It was thr most scary event of my life (other than being attacked by monkeys once

I’m with you… Stray dogs is one of the most stressful aspects of travel for me in certain places like Southeast Asia. I wrote this post after a pack of strays in Thailand gave me a huge scare… I’m a runner, and strays think about chasing me all the time because their instincts is to give chase. Bleh.

so yeah each day i get out of school and walk home but a few days ago a dog showed up and has started to follow me and he even followed me to where i live… i ignore it and walk away but he doesnt doesnt stop following me… i only manage to get away when he sees other dogs. what can i do!?!

Is it friendly? Sounds like he sees you as a good pack leader. Happened to me in rural India… I’m afraid I don’t know what to do in these circumstances. I’m guessing that if you ignore it and don’t feed it, it will eventually get bored of following you… It’s what happened to me.

sorry for not replying well the dog still follows me even tho its not always just when it rains or he sees strangers close to me ^w^ he has actually turned in my best buddy even tho i think it has an owner since sometimes i see it with other people thanks for this thread it really helps

I could use some advice, i recently relocated to turkey with my black labrador, where strays are aplenty. And having become accustomed to daily unfettered walks in australia i thought nothing of it, when i went to take a stroll. I was walking with my dog today about 50m from my home, and noticed a single stray in the distance, and thought little of it, seeing as it was probably 4-500m in the distance. But before i knew it, it began barking, and 4 others dogs joined in – turned out to be a pack, and they were running with raised tails and ears towards me. Suffice it to say i almost pissed meself. Normally i wouldnt be concerned, and just stay calm, but with my dog with me (who is incredibly docile), i basically panicked and ran for my home. By the time i got to my door they were within 25m and i was luckily to get behind the gate. Strays in a pack are bad on their own, but having my dog along side me only made me even more alarmed, as he is home bred and likely to take the brunt of an attack. What can one do in this situation?

Hi, i live in Istanbul (expat) with my family and my male yellow lab. We live in area full of stray dogs. Actually the whole city is full of stray dogs. I also love hiking with my dog so the packs became a real concern for me. I tried to live in peace with them until one day my dog was attacked on the seaside by one of them and a pack came after us in a park. From that day i decided that i won’t avoid green areas but to fight them back. I walk with pepper spray and i think i will also have one of those ultrasonic dog repellents. In a park near my home i managed to free a large area with a long stick and throwing big rocks. Once in day i went chasing them until they finally stop come to that area. Now if i see one entering our territory i immediately kick him out with my stick and my dorg will bark to him.

I’m not a dog expert, but yeah, having a home-trained dog face a pack of strays sounds incredibly bad. I had a docile stray follow me for a while while I lived in India, and the dogs would get really aggressive with her as a result.

You should probably talk to other expats and dog owners in your area. Perhaps there are places that are much safer for dog walking… But if your area has a lot of strays, it sounds like trouble indeed.

Hi! I live in Pakistan. I go for routine jogging in a park in the morning. This has happened to me on my way back once that a stray dog ( although he looks like as if he is a pet because of his muscular build ) was following me… I didn’t realize this thing when suddenly he came on my right side and started to smell my hand.. I god afraid as I thought it was going to bite me.. but i stayed calm and continued walking because there were some other people walking too in that street… but that dog with his another friend ( who looked just like a weak stray ) continued following me till I reached my home. All the way he was trying to run besides me.. Today again this thing happened when I was going to the park. The same dog saw me and started to follow me again. I don’t know why does it only follow me?? When I got near the park there were people walking and jogging.. so at that time he left me and I returned home fearful of him following me back… He walks infront of me sometimes.. then sneaks into surroundings and comes back to me… Its irritating for me as these dogs are very unsafe and unhealthy and if they bite me… I’ll surely end up pretty bad… But thanks for your help.. Ill try to do follow these steps next time…

I wouldn’t worry too much if I were you. I’ve had a stray follow me for a while when I went on my runs, and I don’t think they’d try and bite you if they’re not aggressive from the start. They probably see you as a potential alpha dog, and when they realize you’re not getting them any food they’ll just move on.

The only risk I’d see is if you run into other strays who become aggressive towards the dogs that follow you. But otherwise I’d just ignore them.

Greetings Daniel. I’m from Malaysia. This morning after I parked my car at a parking lot, suddenly there were 2 stray dogs run towards me with some distance and barked at me with no reason. May I know what cause them to bark at me? I did nothing. What i did when they were barking? Of course scare them away with nothing on my hand cause I am heading to work. I won’t run cause I know they will chase me. Lastly they ran away. Appreciate your answer. Thank you very much.

Not 100% sure what riled them up, but most likely they saw you as a threat to their territory. That’s usually the reason why dogs bark like this… They’re trying to get you to move out of their territory. It’s odd that they’d have a parking lot for a territory considering the number of people they probably encounter, though!

I don’t think it’s something you did, really… Glad to hear you could chase them off!

Hello, Daniel and Eugene! I’m from Malaysia as well :). Had quite an experience this morning. There is a pack of about 10 stray dogs normally wandering around where I work. They chose to stroll around right in the stairway to my work today.

At first, I tried not to pay to much heed and calmly walk pass them, right in arm’s range. As soon as my back was turned against one of them, immediately the one closest to me started barking aggressively and it’s nose tapped my leg, maybe almost opening it’s jaws for a bite. Luckily I turned instantly in a stance, and that one backed off a few steps, however 2-3 others started barking while the rest of the pack turned their head and eyes towards me. Fortunately, I was already near my office steps so I backed away slowly and close the small steel door until they wandered off.

I’m glad I was unscathed but I am reminded it isn’t wise take their “territory” easily.

I really hope I won’t have to meet them directly resting around the same stairway again but I guess it isn’t entirely possible given the everyday work place routine. Every morning, when I reach the locals and their shops hadn’t really open n the place is quite quiet. Not really any places nearby which sell food opens around that hour either so giving them “treats” is kind of unlikely either. Any advise?

Hi Daniel thanks for the reply. Really appreciate your answer. Hi Nigel, may I know where is the place that you were being surrounded by these stray dogs? Have to avoid in case I drop by or pass by. Glad you are okay.

IMHO stray dogs are not an issue as they generally fear humans. A stick and picking rocks would generally make them run. A pack would generally behave more confident but in my experience they are acting. They wait you to make a move which will show them that you’re weaker and scared (of course you are, just don’t tell them) such as running away. The biggest issue while hiking mountains are shepperd dog who feel confident of their owner’s backup. I strongly suggest to use a dog repellent which creates a very disturbing sound and make them run away (unless the dog is deaf). In case of attack, you can use pepper spray. As this is a violent thing to do, you should use pepper spray as a last chance.

Many thanks for the extending thai visa info, much appreciated. And ive just read dealing with stray dogs,wish I have read last week, very scary incident with a pack of dogs next to the temple, I did everything you said not to do, luckily two local chaps helped me out, I will remember your advice thanks.

Hi Daniel, your advice seems pretty sound though I only had the chance to try the first three tonight, which I did on instinct. This little argentinian town I’ passing thru is full of dogs. Every other house has a dog that’s roaming in the yard. Most have fences, some do not. There are also strays. Funny thing about the dogs that clearly are at their owner’s house is that the dogs on yards without a fence are usually pretty calm, but the ones behind fences go crazy at every passerby – and this is a town of maybe 40,000 people. So the soundtrack is just constant barking. Anyhow, as I was returning from a little walk, a mid-sized dog came up to me from an abandoned house and started getting nosy. It wasn’t really aggressive, but was sniffing around and even got on its hind legs to lean on me, again i didn’t feel threatened but slightly uncomfortable, as it wasn’t exactly a lap dog and the street wasn’t well lit, and there was no one else around. I did normal dog things, talked to it a bit and maybe scratched it a little and it went on its way. Ten seconds later another dog runs at me full speed, barking and showing teeth, and the previous dog is with him, now almost as aggressive as the newcomer. They come pretty close but I just talk to them in a calmish manner and walk on, turning on my heels constantly since they are on opposite sides of me. This goes on for 15 seconds, then they drop off. They were rather long seconds too. As i walk to my hostel i duly curse the wretched race of dogs forever, fully knowing it’s the humans’ fault, as always. Anyhow, this was my experience. I’m not sure why the worldwide number of aggressive stray dogs is still so huge, it’s not like it’s impossible to get rid of then. Cheers

Yikes, I’m glad to hear nothing bad happened. Yeah, I dunno what it is with strays, man… It’s definitely possible to control the population, but I guess some places don’t really care.

I so completely agree with your description of how dogs with a fence just go crazy. I noticed this too, once I had experience with strays: owned dogs who are safely behind a barrier just go nuts, but remove that barrier and they’re suddenly quiet as a mouse. I’m on to them… It’s just a show. 😀

I interact and care for a pack of five stray dogs in Goa and have been quite successful in socialising them to some degree. My problem stems from a couple of owned house dogs who see me as part of the pack, this has led to them attacking me when they see me without the pack . None of the things I normally do seem to work with this pair, if I continue to walk away without eye contact they run up close to snap at my legs and if I do the stone pick up move they move apart to create two separate targets. So far I have managed to avoid getting bitten by them, but it is worrying that these are domestic animals displaying such aggressive intent.

I was walking to pick up my daughter from school and passed by a house with a dog laying in the front yard. It didn’t look to be restrained in any way so I averted my eyes and pretended I didn’t see it and continued to walk slowly past. I remained calm, but the dog got up and ran at me anyway. It then bit one of my left calf. I screamed in pain but I didn’t stop or pay the dog any attention, I just kept calmly ignoring it. It then bit my right calf twice. once again I screamed in pain, but kept pretending like I didn’t see the dog. I kept walking and it followed me barking viciously for about fifteen seconds before losing interest in me. I found the owners afterwards and asked them to take proper restraining measures. Apparently, the dog has had many past incidents. I was really scared, but ignoring the dog was the only thing my instincts could come up with. I don’t know if that was the best idea, but it was extremely aggressive and very powerful, and I’m not a dominant or violent person, so assertively telling the dog to go home wouldn’t have worked for me and I’m sure it would’ve attacked harder if I feigned picking up a rock. I don’t think his attack could have been avoided. Any advice at all?

Owned dogs like this are bad news. Stray dogs, even those in packs, are generally afraid of humans, but when a dog is backed by a human who doesn’t care, they can be real dangerous, as in this case. You should report that dog owner so he does something about his dog… Imagine if it had been a child…

As for advice for the future, I really don’t know if you could have done much better. Obviously the first thing is to move out of his territory as fast as you can (such as crossing the street.) I really don’t think confronting it would have worked, since this was a dog who had no problem biting a calm, passive person.

If you have to pass this house often, perhaps you should get a can of mace. I bet that dog would calm down after it got maced in the face…

So one of your pieces of advice on avoiding confrontation is to avoid confrontation? Great advice.Feign picking up a rock? Ridiculous. I have 2 pit bulls at home so I’m familiar with aggressive dog behavior? Ive also had an aggressive stray dog pack encounter in Chiang Mai, Thailand, late at night and all alone. Normally the strays arent aggressive and therefor acting non dominate and nice works on non aggressive dogs. But once they start acting aggressive as a pack none of your advice is to solid. Only thing that stopped them was a loud agressive clap and yes showing my dominance. Its not about pride. Nothing else was working. Kinda why I looked online for other methods but these are not great.

So i live in indonesia and i have 1 female pug in my house. And i just noticed for almost a month there is 1 stray dog (male) that is always comes to my house just to sniff and (maybe) play w/ my pug. I have no problem w/ that but the problem is he always barks at me and my family and everytime we move he makes that scary face and i dont feel safe now everytime i walk my pug outside. What can i do to make him go away? I am so uncomfortable:(

a week ago ,some stray dogs came to my street and they don’t want to go away . yesterday i was walking home alone in late time beside a parking car and there is a stray dog under it but i didn’t notice it ,suddenly this dog came out and bite my leg without warning or doing any sound and the other dogs starting to bark, i take off my bag and he thought that i will hit him so he let my leg and i went quickly to the hospital . can you tell me please what can i do in this situation and what to do the next time i walk on this street ?

whenever i am out for a jog early morning with my brother , some lone dogs start following me or walk with me if i stop they too stop with me and they are not aggressive at all its 3-4 times but my brother is not even sniffed at and he never experienced it when he is out alone i am quite scared about it.They dont follow many people but only me and always look at my face.I try to ignore them but he followed i changed the track but he followed me still.

Hmm! If they’re just following you without showing any sign of aggression, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. I’ve had this happen to me too before, with a lone dog… She just followed me around throughout my runs. One thing you SHOULD be aware of, though, is that other stray dogs might be aggressive towards those “friendly” strays depending on where you go. They shouldn’t go after you, but be aware of this possibility.